This morning, I found myself crunching along a paved road graced by golden leaves. It is fall, and the world around me is shedding, letting go of dead things. Fall leaves mean necessary endings in order for the trees to prepare for winter. Fall is about creating space; it is a surrendered heart posture of allowing loss to have its place in our lives. As I crunch along the path, I feel this intuitive knowing that I need to let go similarly and trust the process of change.
Recently I have felt the growing pains of staying in places that aren't for me anymore. Whether it is trying to nurture an unhealthy relationship, pursue career spaces that hinder me from reaching my full potential, or remaining in a city that feels less like home the longer I stay, deep down I know that I am in transition, and maybe others that read this can relate. I find that there is always inevitable change taking place, and in each ending we can find the lessons of impermanence.
For a while, life's impending change has felt terrifying and unwelcome to me. I will be honest and say that I have been reluctant to let go and fully embrace change. It is hard to come to terms with saying goodbye to seasons I have deeply cherished. The loss in many ways feels like grief. I have clung to what is known, and what has been because this feels safe, although what is known has also been restricting.
Lesson 1: Necessary endings are not failures. Necessary endings are a natural rhythm to life.
As the world is graced by the richest colors that fall brings, I can't help but feel the trees wink at me each time they willingly sever ties to the old things. They urge me to do accordingly. As I reflect on the season of fall and how it symbolizes change, letting go, and loss, I am likewise reminded that fall symbolizes preparation, and allowing space for the beauty of something new to grow. That no matter how hard the ending may be, spring is always promised to come again. How encouraging this reminder is.
Lesson 2: Fall is an invitation to surrender to open space.
I find myself wanting to skip over winter when talking about fall, and just jump straight into spring, into the hope of new things. But this overshadows the importance of the space that comes when we do let go. Fall is preparation for going into hibernation. Fall is a reminder that letting go leads us into a season of pausing, into a season of winter. Winter is important. Winter is about space. Winter is about rest. It isn't a season to rush through. In winter we find that we stop nurturing the old, but instead allow what was to fade. It is about resting, reflecting, and acknowledging that the end exists. It is about being in the season of what is left when we do let go. Winter allows us to surrender to loss fully.
There is a space left behind each fall. And the space should be used intentionally. As beneficial as it is to want to look forward to the new and prepare for the new, we can also remember that winter isn't always about creating. It isn't always about building the new. Sometimes winter is about clearing space so that when flowers do start to grow, the remnants of the past are not overlapping. If Fall is about letting go. Winter is both about feeling the space of the goodbye and waiting in expectation that the spring will soon come.
Lesson 3: Spring flowers are only possible because the trees willingly let go of old leaves.
With that, sometimes loss can be an intentional precursor to what we will find. Sometimes letting go makes room for new growth. And sometimes necessary endings are required for necessary beginnings. My encouragement to you is to hold hope over fear when we are in the midst of loss and letting go. And may we look to the trees and remember the rich beauty of the fall season, filled with endings. And may we accept the space that loss brings, as it allows new things to grow because of each goodbye.
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